Stepbrothers
by Sulfur Dusk
Summary: AU - "Just because we're living under the same roof and our parents are fucking each other does NOT mean we have to learn to get along. And don't even try to become my friend, you little shrimp; you'd be wasting your goddamn time. So stay away from me and we're clear. Got it, Mutou?" Puzzleshipping.
1. Prologue

**Title:**_ Stepbrothers_

**Rating: **_M_

**Genre: **_General/Drama/Angst/Humor/Romance_

**Coupling: **_Puzzleshipping/Blindshipping [ Atem x Yuugi ]_

**Setting: **_Alternate Universe_

**Disclaimer: **_Disclaimed_

**Summary: **_Enter Atem: "Just because we're living under the same roof and our parents are fucking each other does NOT mean we have to learn to get along. And don't even try to become my friend, you little shrimp; you'd be wasting your goddamn time. So stay away from me and we're clear. Got it, Mutou?" _

_But staying away from Atem Takahashi was the last thing on Yuugi's mind._

* * *

**A/N: Hey everyone! This is a plot bunny that popped in my head today while I was, funnily enough, talking to my stepsiblings. When I finished my conversations with them I started writing the first chapter to **_**Onyx**_**, and THAT was when the idea hit me. This will be a decent turnaround from what I usually do. Some family angst, drama, and of course, who doesn't love that forbidden tension between Atem and Yuugi? We love those stories! Don't try to hide it. ;)**

* * *

**~ Prologue ~**

* * *

_I can't even tell you how it all started._

_Well… okay, actually I can. _

_Long story short, my mother fell in love. Of course I was happy for her—she was middle-aged, fresh off of the drugs and several years out of rehabilitation. I wanted what was best for her, and to see her pursuing a romantic relationship was totally fine with me. I knew that my mother would find someone eventually, before or after I left for college. _

_In this case, it happened during my graduating year of high school._

_She started dating again. I kept an eye on her as best I could—I knew that she was an intelligent person, and I would never disregard my mother's judgment, but these dates… they were rocky at first. These people she met were either extremely dangerous or had a secretive past that I myself would have to look up on Google. _

_But that wasn't her fault._

_And then… she met Jonathan. Some well-off Egyptologist; he claimed he didn't have any children, but what he actually meant was that he didn't have any _birth _children, since he was never married prior. He did have a son, and I thought this was going to be a brilliant opportunity to form a friendship with someone outside of school. _

_Because, you know, for small teenage boys that look barely more threatening than a rabbit will definitely land you a spot on the popular list, right? Wrong._

_I did have one friend, though. Jounouchi Katsuya always stuck by my side, ironically enough, since he used to be one of the most notorious bullies on school grounds. He didn't hold a candle to a lot of the other larger, more intimidating ones, but he was still a person to be afraid of… if you ignored just how generous and how much of a joker he could be— _

_Ugh, I need to stop pulling away from the real topic here._

_I don't want to complain any further, since this documentation isn't about me. Not all of it, anyway. The point is that I was worried about my mother, and this "Jonathan" guy that she met online became her new favorite. But when I finally saw a picture of him, I was kind of impressed. Tall, good-looking, around my mother's age. _

_He seemed okay, from the picture's perspective, anyway. When my mother called my grandfather, Sugoroku Mutou, over the phone and told her about him, he didn't sound too happy to hear about it. My grandpa was more laid-back than I was, but he was just as, if not more, protective of his daughter. I made sure that he didn't do anything rash, like try to find out Jonathan's address and stalk him or anything severe, since my grandpa _was _kinda crazy._

_Okay, maybe a lot crazy, but we still loved him. He was all that remained in my mother's life, and honestly, the closest person I had as a father. No one would replace him as far as relationships were concerned. And if this thing with Jonathan turned out to be serious…_

_I'm getting ahead of myself._

_ANYWAY._

_My mother started ranting about how much she was in so much love with this guy; rose-tinted glasses over her eyes big-time. There was no way I could convince her that there was something off about him. And at first, I didn't say anything, because there was nothing to say. I liked Jonathan too. _

_Things didn't exactly get interesting until she invited him over to actually meet me in person, donned in a suit and everything. Dinner was piled high on the table, with foods that normally she didn't make unless a true foreign citizen visited us. I, myself, enjoyed both Japanese and American cuisine, and my parents (my dad was fully Japanese) opened me up to both food worlds without hesitation._

_So I wasn't picky, but her selection for Jonathan was out of the ordinary, even for me: seared salmon, chopped octopus, clam chowder, and even lobster soufflé… I had never even heard of half of those things. Let me rephrase: I did hear of the animals, but I had no idea they could be _cooked _in that way. My mom practically made lobster into a cake!_

_I'm getting off-track. Again._

_Alright, the_ point_ is that she cooked everything that he asked her to. She was so desperate to have his approval, but from what I could tell he was the real deal; he was polite, told her loving things in front of my face, and even let me know some interesting facts about his expeditions into Egypt. That seemed normal enough; heck, he was apparently handsome and intelligent too. Double points. _

_I was really determined for my mom to settle down with someone._

_And I thought—no, I _knew_, that it would be Jonathan. _

_But he didn't tell us everything. _

_Jonathan started talking about his son, and it was this moment that I dreadfully hoped that my mother would _not _continue dating him. _

_He told us stories, about how his adopted son—born from _EGYPT _no less—was seen as mentally unstable at times, temperamental, and kind of a general asshole… oh yeah, and something about a juvenile detention record? Was this guy serious?_

_This was, as you can imagine, not what I wanted to hear; I could practically see bullets of my own sweat drop onto my plate!_

_But my mom needed happiness. If she was going to choose Jonathan over all of her other crazed dating choices, then I would endure whatever the consequences would be. Jonathan seemed to be preparing us as best he could before we would meet his son. _

_He didn't show me a picture, so I asked him what he looked like._

"_Honestly, Yuugi, my friend, he kind of looks like you." He said those words with an amused twinkle in his eye, but I wasn't laughing. _

_And then he gave me his name._

_Atem._

_Atem Takahashi—the name was so strange hearing from Jonathan since he was also Japanese-American, but to have a first name like Atem… I guess this son of his really was Egyptian. But it would take much more than that to impress me. _

_My only concern was that he would be a total jackass to my mom when he met her._

_And _no one _insults my mother. _

_But no, Jonathan never brought Atem over. Ever. I had never seen him once. _

_The first time I met Atem Takahashi was by complete coincidence…_

_At my mother's own wedding._

_And _that _was where it began._

* * *

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**Your reviews mean everything to me, so constructive criticism is always welcome. And it's supposed to be short since it's only the first chapter, and I swear the next ones will be much, much longer than this. I promise.**

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	2. Tall, Dark and Frustrating

**Title:**_ Stepbrothers_

**Rating: **_M_

**Genre: **_General/Drama/Angst/Humor/Romance_

**Coupling: **_Puzzleshipping/Blindshipping [ Atem x Yuugi ]_

**Setting: **_Alternate Universe_

**Disclaimer: **_Disclaimed_

**Summary: **_Enter Atem: "Just because we're living under the same roof and our parents are fucking each other does NOT mean we have to learn to get along. And don't even try to become my friend, you little shrimp; you'd be wasting your goddamn time. So stay away from me and we're clear. Got it, Mutou?" _

_But staying away from Atem Takahashi was the last thing on Yuugi's mind._

* * *

**A/N: Wow! I had an amazing response to the first chapter. Thank you so much guys! I'm glad you liked the prologue. So, here's the first official chapter to **_**Stepbrothers**_**.**

* * *

**~ Chapter One ~**

_Tall, Dark and Frustrating_

* * *

_As I mentioned before, Atem was described as an asshole. Jonathan basically drilled a terrible image into my head—before long I thought of some huge, big, beefy brute with hair similar to mine. After all, didn't I mention that Jonathan compared my hair and his son's? So of course it made perfect sense. Created an ugly image, for sure, but at least I felt like I was prepared._

_But no, I wasn't prepared, and probably for reasons that you wouldn't expect. _

* * *

Yuugi always suspected that, when his mother _did _remarry (_if _she remarried), she would want a huge wedding with hundreds of people and distant relatives she didn't know existed attending the ceremony. There she was, draped head to toe in a gorgeous white dress, frilly laces belling around her ankles and along train extending behind her, and Yuugi was the only one who knew that it belonged to her deceased mother. He never met his grandmother, actually, but Sugoroku made sure that his daughter had open access to whatever she needed, and she was honored to take on the beautiful, yet ancient, gown.

Yuugi sat alone on one of the long mahogany chairs, staring around him at the rather… non-festive expressions on people's faces. A lot of them were surprisingly old guests, and some were even dressed in black—_black_, of all colors—and looked like they were planning on attending a funeral rather than an exciting wedding.

He exhaled and shrugged. In the end, he wasn't the wedding planner; his mother was, through and through, and this was what she wanted, so he was going to try his best to be happy for her as she was for herself. Seeing his mother standing up there, grasping the fresh bouquet of roses tightly in her gloved hands, and her smile inexplicably wide… Yuugi couldn't have been a happier son.

"Yuug'! Psst, _Yuugi_."

He blinked and whirled around at the voice, smiling apologetically as he came face-to-face with a massive woman's Chihuahua. The creature barked at him and he glared at it before turning his attention to the true source of the voice. Sitting only a few spots down from the strange lady, was Jounouchi Katsuya. Blonde hair, scruffy tan suit and a huge goofball smile.

Yuugi cracked a small smile, but he gestured with a flick of his head towards the minister, who was still addressing the soon-to-be husband and wife. He mouthed: _Sorry. We can talk later._

Jounouchi raised an eyebrow, and mouthed: _Later? Why later? Your mama's getting married. She won't care if we're gone._

Yuugi rolled his eyes. He wasn't going to argue with his friend at the moment. Facing forward once more, he caught the kind, gentle eye that his mother was shooting him, and he gradually smiled back, his hands shoved in his pockets. _This is good, Mom. You'll be happy again in no time. _He turned his attention to Jonathan Takahashi, hoping that he was right after all.

The ceremony continued for another twenty minutes, with plenty of tears of joy, flinging bouquets and his mother squealing like a child again. Yuugi swore he felt his stomach tighten up in joy of seeing his mom like this—it had been a long time since she truly smiled.

Jonathan wrapped one arm around his new wife's waist. "Kira… I know that we will make a fabulous new life together. You, me, and our sons."

Yuugi knew he wasn't supposed to hear that statement, but as soon as the words left Jonathan's mouth, he felt a stream of gooseflesh overtake his arms. He nearly forgot about Jonathan's son… the delinquent mentioned over a rather awkward dinner, when he first met his mother's romantic interest in person. Overall, it was a nice experience, but he would never forget the anxiety he felt during that solid ten minutes of Jonathan explaining his son to them.

* * *

_Yuugi stared with wide eyes toward the improbable food that his mother made. Really? Lobster soufflé? He would have to discuss the importance of how seafood was truly concocted—which he normally wouldn't have to, but this was just wrong on so many levels—and explain that crustaceans should never be subjected into being baked into a cake._

_Crustacean cake. Yum._

_Across the dining room table, Yuugi scoped out his mother's date. After all, that was the reason he was there, right? To see if his mother wasn't being desperate or anything._

_Her date was a tall, reasonably strong man with broad shoulders, a chiseled face, brown hair and warm blue eyes. Yuugi knew that Jonathan Takahashi was Japanese-American, like them, so to see the Caucasian influence did not surprise him at all. The actual dinner part was going rather well, surprisingly—Jonathan talked to his mother like he adored her, and made no qualms about Yuugi's presence being there._

_And that earned a small notch of respect from the suspicious teenager._

"_So, Jonathan," Yuugi's mother, Kira, began, "do you have any kids?" _

_Yuugi blinked. Through this whole ordeal, he didn't even think about the subject of children. Was Jonathan married beforehand? Taking a swift glance at his mother, he could tell with the shining glint in her eyes that she already knew the answer, but she was asking for his sake._

_Well that was… thoughtful of her. Right?_

"_Why, yes, as a matter of fact, I do. We are not blood-related, however." Well that was kind of an odd opening statement._

_Yuugi picked absentmindedly at his vegetables while his mother asked the questions. "Oh? So he's adopted?"_

"_Yes. I actually adopted him from Egypt, during an expedition. I believed that, since I was going to be spending so much time in Egypt, I would love to raise a child around that area. The children there… oh Kira, I will have to take you there sometime, just to see how interesting the culture is. The children, however, were starved, and this one boy happened to catch my eye."_

_Yuugi glanced up at the way Jonathan was looking at him, with an interested smile gracing his features. He slightly shifted under the stare. "Um…"_

"_Sorry if I'm staring, Yuugi." He dipped his head apologetically. "You just resemble my son quite a lot. It's a rather strange coincidence."_

_The teenager groaned. He hoped that this wasn't the case._

_Kira's eyes were wide with interest. "That's fascinating! I'm very eager to meet him."_

"_Yes, well, I can't wait until you _both_ meet him for the first time." Jonathan smiled._

Yeah_, Yuugi thought in sarcastically, _it'll be grand.

* * *

Yuugi shook his head, trying not to recall the entire memory as best he could. He didn't want to remember the details afterward—after all, he was going to face some of his more prominent fears in only a few moments. Glancing around him, he surveyed the room, where numerous guests stood up, gathered their belongings, wished his mother and her new husband good luck, and left. Very few actual conversations took place under the chapel roof, and the dozens of voices bouncing off the walls at the same time started to make him dizzy.

His brow furrowed. Something was slightly… off.

"Hey Yuugi!" Jounouchi popped up beside him, sporting that usual, overly goofy grin that either drove someone crazy or someone just as excited as him. Yuugi was, at times, a firm mix of the two reactions. "Congrats to your mom, by the way, that's pretty neat that she got married again."

Yuugi wasn't really listening. He was too busy scoping out the room, and found that a vein was popping on his forehead before he could stop it.

"He didn't show up."

Jounouchi blinked, stopping mid-ramble. "Show up…? Who didn't show up?"

Yuugi shook his head. "Forget it. It's not important." He turned to Jounouchi with a surprisingly bright smile, but his blonde friend would probably see through his falsely happy ruse. "Do you wanna go somewhere, then? I'm sure my mom will be busy for a few hours."

The blonde shrugged. "Eh, I'm just kinda goin' with the flow, here."

Yuugi raised an eyebrow at that.

"Okay, okay, let's go eat! I'm starving!"

His friend smiled. Alright, that sounded much more like the Jounouchi Katsuya he remembered. They started walking towards the doors, but Yuugi's mind still reverted back to his other concerns.

_He didn't show up_.

His teeth ground at the thought. Jonathan Takahashi's own son didn't appear as a guest to his wedding. Just what the hell was up with that? Was his son so much of an inconsiderate jerk that he couldn't give two shits about his only adoptive parent getting _married_?

_Jackass. _

"Uh, Yuugi, you look pretty pissed off. You sure you wanna just go do what I do? I mean, we don't have to get a bite to eat—"

Yuugi shook his head, snapping out of his trance and facing Jounouchi with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Jou. Just thinking of a lot of things right now."

Jounouchi frowned. "Who died?"

"… Okay, nothing that drastic." He rolled his eyes.

"Yuugi, my pride and joy!" Yuugi whipped around smiled widely as his mother, still clad in her wedding dress, tackled him in a loving hug.

Instantly, he forgot about Jonathan's son.

Her nimble arms wrapped around him and she buried her face into his extravagant hair, murmuring praise after praise. "Oh, Yuugi, words can't describe how happy I am right now. Jonathan is going to take me out to dinner after this…" She pulled away from him, her finger stroking against his cheek. "Are you okay with that—" She flicked her attention towards Jounouchi, and cracked a tiny smile. "Oh, Jou! Sorry, I didn't notice you there."

"No prob Ms. Mutou—I mean, Mrs. Takahashi," Jounouchi quipped, smirking crookedly. "Congrats."

"Thank you."

"Jou and I were going to hang out for a few hours." Yuugi dipped his head. "Is… that alright with you?"

"Oh, Yuugi, of course it is." She blinked and shrugged her tiny shoulders. "I know how busy you can get, and I know that this wedding dragged a lot of time out of your schedule. Of course you can hang out with Jou." She gestured towards her new husband with a flick of her head, giggling while she did so. Yuugi couldn't help but grin along with her—there was just so much energy radiating from her right now, and he missed that side to her.

Maybe this was an all-positive occurrence. Maybe there really wasn't a downfall—

"Honey, can you come here for a second?" Yuugi blinked at the subtle intrusion and glanced over his mother's shoulder, where Jonathan was standing in the far corner of the chapel with a cell phone in hand. He was gesturing towards his phone, as if about to talk about something important.

"Oh, of course, John. I'll be there in a moment." She kissed Yuugi's forehead and raced off—Jounouchi could barely gather just how quickly she moved in the massive, yet tight garment.

"Your mom's impressive, ain't she, Yuug'?"

He nodded, but really he wasn't paying that much attention. At this point he just wanted to get out of here as soon as possible—knowing that his mother was married and already seeming to be having the time of her life was enough for him.

Plus, he needed to forget about the one main downfall to this event.

Atem didn't show up. Yuugi just… couldn't even fathom that. He would break his mother's heart if he purposefully refused to attend her wedding.

Hell, he made sure everything was _perfect_. He checked the square-cut sandwiches on the after-party table, and the chocolate fountain, and the slices of strawberries and marshmallows that came with it, and the large assortment of additional pastries and even meat morsels that would have satisfied anyone. He wanted this to be absolutely _stellar _for his mother—she deserved it, didn't she? Her happiness was too important for him to dismiss.

To think that a man close to his age would have the audacity to dismiss the feelings of the parent was just—

He squeaked, slamming into an unfamiliar figure just outside the doors. He fell back, landing on his backside with a loud _thump_. He grimaced, knowing that he probably bruised his tailbone, and felt his face flush in embarrassment as he glanced up, and noticed the plenty of awkward stares cast in his direction. He just made a fool of himself in front of all of these departing guests—his day was just going positively _golden_, wasn't it?

"Watch where the fuck you're going."

In any normal situation, he would have winced. He would have flinched, apologized, groveled, begged for forgiveness… if he knew whom he offended, and if the offended person in the conversation happened to be _polite. _

He stared up, and swallowed.

Standing there, tall, lean and clad in a black suit, was a man that he had sworn he had never seen before, but wow…

He blinked owlishly and struggled to stand up. He heard Jounouchi run up to him, yelling curses at the offended man that Yuugi walked into. But he wasn't listening to his overprotective friend; he was too busy staring at the stranger.

This man was _gorgeous_, as if he stepped out of some brilliant painting. His skin glowed a healthy bronze; his features sharp and appearing as if someone godly carved them by hand, with high cheekbones, full lips and… god, those _eyes._ They boiled like twin pools of molten lava—crimson and seeming like they would burn to the touch. In his right hand, he detected a small white box tied with a blue ribbon. Yuugi wondered, for a brief, out-of-ordinary second, what the stranger looked like beneath the layers of fabric: lean, toned, laced through with ropy muscles that belonged to a swimmer… those words couldn't have been clearer in his mind.

But… there was something a little odd about this stranger.

Yuugi's eyes bulged. That hair.

That… that _hair_!

It was practically the same as his: multiple colorful spikes sticking out in several directions, with lightning bolt bangs shooting upwards in comparison to Yuugi's own. No, this couldn't have been a coincidence. This stranger—t-this impossibly _handsome _unnamed guest—

He had to be.

Yuugi swallowed, earning a rather confused, and irritated, look from the other man. "Are you…?" His eyes flashed in realization, his teeth grinding and his fists clenching in bottled expectations and rage. "You're him! You're Atem Takahashi!"

The other man's pupils dilated at this, but he just looked more insulted.

"Why the fuck are you freaking out? You're drawing a crowd—"

"You missed your own parent's wedding! What the hell is wrong with you? How could you possibly be late for something like this? I mean, look at this place!" Yuugi gestured wildly towards the enormous, admittedly beautiful chapel and his mannerisms only turned more frantic. "My mother, your _father_, just pledged their lives to each other in matrimony and you weren't here to see it—"

"Who the hell are you to tell me where to go and when to go, you little pint-sized bastard?" The stranger growled out, his teeth gnashing together like an angry jaguar's. "Stay the _fuck _out of my business." He then paused at the flustered, angered expression washing over Yuugi's features, and his gaze only hardened. "Wait," he continued, "did you say _your _mother?"

Yuugi's face turned redder and he shook his head. "Yes! _My _mother. Why else would I know your name?"

Jounouchi stepped between them, grasping Yuugi's shoulders. "Whoa, Yuug', calm down man. I've never seen you like this before."

"Jou, let me see him!"

Atem's fingers tightened around the box in his hand. "Move over," he growled to Jounouchi. The blonde glared at him for a solid several seconds, their stares heated and countering with equal strengths.

"He's my friend—"

"I said: _move over_." Atem's brow was furrowed and his chest was close to pushing out. There was something almost animalistic about the way he moved, like he was just trying to intimidate Jounouchi.

But Yuugi knew that his friend wasn't going to back down from a fight.

"Jou, wait! Don't start a fight."

"Hypocrite," Atem spat.

Yuugi growled. "What? I—"

"What's going on here?"

Yuugi froze. He knew that voice, and even after the owner of this specific voice just married his mother, he knew that the consequences from starting a fight in the parking lot would cause a ruckus. He turned around, his palms sweating and his fingers curling into them.

Jonathan stood there, towering over all three of the feuding teenagers, his shoulders appearing even broader in his expensive suit, and the pure, ice-cold exterior coating his features and eyes said everything for him. There was so much tension between everyone now, and Yuugi felt his own heart slamming against his ribs in anticipation.

Atem stiffened, but his head was lowered and he seemed to show some… odd respectful mannerisms toward Jonathan. That was the last thing Yuugi expected to see, but he took notice of the small white box in Atem's hand and he realized that it was most likely for this event.

"You're late," Jonathan said.

Yuugi's patience spiked. He noticed Atem bristle at these words, apprehension settling in those dark crimson depths. He whispered something incoherent back to his father, and it was at this moment that Jounouchi grabbed his arm and pulled him aside.

Yuugi blinked as the blonde tugged them over to his car. "Yuugi! What was that about? You went crazy on that guy!"

"He's my stepbrother now, Jou," Yuugi answered simply. "I mean…" He blinked. Maybe it was wrong for him to just confront Atem like that in front of so many people, but the anger regarding his mother was too strong to ignore. He wondered if he let it slide any further, that it would bite him in the ass later on. "Okay, maybe I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. But he missed out on his own _father_'s wedding ceremony, Jou. I have to have some word with him about it. I mean, it's my mom's too, and now she's his stepmom, so it has some impact, doesn't it?"

Jounouchi pondered this, a rather thoughtful look gracing his features. "I guess… but Yuug', you gotta understand this part of it. Your mom wants her day to be the best, right?" Yuugi stared at him as if he was crazy (since, of course, he already knew that) but he nodded anyway. "She won't like to see her new stepson and her birth-son fighting just outside the chapel where she got married."

The "no-duh" fact caused Yuugi's stomach to drop. He blinked, shaking his head in dumb realization. He never thought he would even think this, but Jounouchi was right. If his mother found out about their fight, and just minutes after her wedding, she would be extremely disappointed.

He glanced over the two men on the far side of the lot, noticing how rigid Jonathan was when talking to Atem. They were both incredibly stiff, shoulders tight, taught, and positioned in a way that displayed dominance on both sides. It was almost amusing, since Atem was not blood-related to Jonathan but he clearly picked up mannerisms over the years.

And Jonathan looked even unhappier than before. Whenever he was with Yuugi's mother, Kira, he always seemed happy, so happy that they never broke into an argument, never fought over who was going to eat what for dinner, or who wanted to wear what for the movie… they never argued. He couldn't recall a single moment where there was disruption present.

But now he was being introduced to it.

_This just might be a recurring theme_, he thought with false glee.

* * *

_So… yeah, I did meet Atem at my mother's wedding. Before, after, whatever. It's still in the same context._

_And I remember thinking just how gorgeous Atem was. Of course, total bastard with a chip on his shoulder the size of Domino, but I had to admit that he was distracting. _

_This was obnoxious on my part since I knew that I was going to be living under the same roof with this guy, and Jonathan's discussions of his juvenile record kept flashing in my mind. Just how dangerous was Atem now?_

_Jonathan and Atem were outside on the parking lot for three hours, looking like two angry bulls duking it out (at least for the first twenty minutes). Jou and I stayed in that lot out of curiosity, but during that time I made sure that my mother was still feeling alright. _

_Atem's sudden arrival kind of surprised her. She wasn't mad, she wasn't irritated—no, she was more… confused. She hadn't expected him to show up at all. So when he did show up, Jonathan was berating him about him not showing up, but my mom didn't even expect him to be there in the first place. _

_It was already a mess. _

_Plus I had never seen that side to Jonathan before. One minute, he was the Jonathan, or "John", that cared for my mother like a true newly wedded husband, but the other… wow, I had never seen anything like that. He talked down Atem like he was a bad-behaving puppy. I had to give credit to Atem, though; even though I'm not a fan of him, he just took it. He literally listened to his father's yelling and berating for three straight hours; that's just painful._

_I was never raised with a father so I wouldn't know what that was like. I never did get to see what was inside the little white box, though. Atem never let me see it, and he gave it to my mother as some sort of "apology" present, though I knew that it was her wedding gift and Jonathan was responsible for the new label._

_At least Atem wasn't rude to my mom. That still remains as a prominent concern for me. _

_But then, it just got worse. _

_Atem never mentioned why he was late, but after that three-hour squabble no one seemed to care. My mother just wanted to get home, so we obliged. Atem apparently took a cab there, so he rode with us back to the house._

_I don't think I'll ever forget his reaction from just waltzing right through the front door._

_He's such a dickhead._

* * *

"_This _is your place?" The layer of disgust rippling through that one statement made Yuugi's skin crawl.

When the older teen's back was turned, Yuugi sent a rather frigid glare in the family addition's direction; his hands tightly wound around two heavy suitcases. He walked through the front doors, kicking off his shoes (and silently thanking whoever made those blasted things that he could just remove them; his feet were aching terribly) and setting the bags down without a word.

Kira Mutou walked in, holding her skirts up and immediately bobbing her head towards the living room area. Yuugi perked up, paying attention as much as he could without breaking his current train of thought. At the corner of his eye, he saw Atem observing the creaky floorboards on the staircase, the thin patches of dust and grime on the bookshelves, and even the chandelier over the dining room table with an unimpressed look on his face.

He wanted to smack that expression right off.

"Can't you at least _try _to look like you appreciate this?" Yuugi grumbled, keeping his voice low as Jonathan entered the house and followed Kira into a different room. Apparently, whatever they wanted to talk about needed to be put on hold.

Atem glared at him. "Would you rather I lie?" He rolled his eyes, reaching into his left pants pocket and pulling out a cigarette and a lighter.

Yuugi flushed. "I—those—"

"What, are these not allowed?" Atem's smirk curved at an unusual angle with the cigarette clenched between his teeth. The smoke billowed into the household before Yuugi could even ask him to put it away. "Don't see what the fucking problem is."

"My mother worries about secondhand smoke. You can't have those out," Yuugi growled.

"Well I'm not near your mother, now am I?" Atem retorted. It was clear between the both of them that were not getting to know each other on the right foot. Maybe that was Yuugi's fault, but a part of him screamed that, no, whatever he could have done would have been answered with the same insults.

This man was going to be _difficult_.

"It's a rule in our house."

"My house too now. You wanna change the rules?" Atem walked over to him, confidence rolling off him in dramatic waves, before he leaned down and blew a cloud of smoke onto Yuugi's face. The other coughed and backed up, nearly tripping over the massive suitcase that held the remainder of Atem's belongings. "Should've begged your mom not to bang my dad."

Yuugi's fists clenched. He willed himself to calm down before he lost his temper and broke into another tirade. This time, his mother would hear him and _he _would be the one getting the three-hour-long lecture.

He walked up the stairs, turning a few corners before he entered his own room.

He sighed, absorbing the comfortable, warm atmosphere as best he could. His bed, the same bed he had owned since he was only seven years old, sat tightly clumped in the corner with a set of navy-blue sheets and blankets. Posters his grandfather gave him advertising a popular card game called _Duel Monsters _were spread across his walls. A television sat on the opposite end of the room, still turned on from this morning, and a tangled set of controls for a gaming console stored in his closet were set right next to it. The one thing he cherished from recent memory was a simple green lava lamp on his nightstand.

He usually needed this room to escape.

"This your room?"

Yuugi squeaked and nearly tripped over his own socks. He turned around, glaring at Atem; the smug bastard looked even more smug and… bastard-y, with his high and regal posture and the fact that he was waltzing around _Yuugi's house _with a pack of cigarettes and a goddamn _lighter_.

"You should probably leave," Yuugi mumbled, starting to feel a little desperate at this point.

"You don't have a sign on your door. Free country, isn't it?" Atem countered, easily shoving past Yuugi and walking over to his bed. He leaped backwards onto the thing, causing the object to rock as he stretched himself across the sheets. "Heh, comfy."

"This is my room," Yuugi growled out. "You'll get your own soon."

"Whatever, kid," Atem mumbled, clearly not interested. He started staring through the blinds over his window, transfixed on something outside.

"I'm not a kid!"

"Fine. What are you, twelve? Fourteen?" Atem sniggered, raising an eyebrow towards Yuugi with a look that said: _you're not fooling anyone_.

Yuugi crossed his arms. "I'm a senior in high school, you jerk."

Atem blinked at the insult and sat up. "You talk like that again and I'll _show _you just who you're messing with!"

It was an empty threat. Yuugi was going to take his chances—he was not going to let this pompous asshole boss him around. After all, he was there first, and this was _his_ room.

He swallowed once the older man refused to leave his room. He continued to smoke and blow clouds of the substance across his posters, feigning interest in the popular _Duel Monsters _game. For what seemed like hours Yuugi knew he could do nothing about this harassment; perhaps it was good practice, for when the bastard actually _moved in_.

"Your father…" Yuugi needed to change the subject, and he wanted his questions answered. "Your father mentioned a juvenile detention record."

He immediately regretted his question, because Atem did something he had not seen before: he stiffened until he was absolutely still, the cigarette held between his fingertips until it was completely useless. Minutes passed, and Yuugi could practically feel his heart reacting in nervousness to the situation.

Atem finally broke the silence, turning towards Yuugi with a frigid glare. "Jonathan mentioned… what?"

"I—I shouldn't have asked. Forget it." Yuugi turned around and started walking to the door, but was pushed back and Atem's long, lean arm slammed the entryway shut before he could step out. Flushing, the younger man glanced up into those simultaneously frightening and heated crimson orbs, wondering if he was going to disintegrate any moment now.

"So what did my father tell you?" he growled.

Yuugi's brow furrowed. "Nothing. He just mentioned that you were in juvenile hall. I don't know a thing."

"_Sure_ you don't," Atem continued. Yuugi saw him shove his putout cigarette into his pocket, but the smoke was still laced in his breath. "He talks too much."

"He was preparing us for meeting you," Yuugi continued. "Listen, I shouldn't have asked. It's a private question and I know that we've only just met. I don't want to seem like I'm interrogating you." Which, in reality, he didn't. No, he wasn't particularly fond of Atem, but questioning him out of thing air seemed a bit much.

"Well you are." Atem rolled his eyes, but he remained with his hand on the door, suddenly leaning into it. He gave Yuugi a slow once-over, and the teenager squeaked and flushed at the gesture. Atem's lips curled into a licentious smirk.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Atem shrugged. "Nothing important."

"Yuugi! Atem! Can you please come downstairs? To the living room? We need to have a meeting."

Yuugi blinked at his mother's voice and crossed his arms, staring at his new stepbrother stubbornly. "See? My mother's calling for both of us. So you have to let us out."

"Whatever." He removed himself from the door, but he was in no rush to join Yuugi downstairs. He took his sweet time hiding the cigarettes he smoked and shoving the lighter back into his pocket.

Yuugi tried to ignore the bolts of electricity springing up his spine whenever he was near the other teen. There was just something so… odd, about Atem. Others would have considered him domineering, threatening. But at the moment Yuugi noticed that he hadn't actually touched him or anything; just gave him an empty threat.

Maybe that was all he was: a vessel of false promises.

Brilliant.

He made his way into the living room, and was happy to see that not much has changed since Jonathan talked about moving in. There were two couches opposite of each other, sitting atop a green and gray carpet, with paintings that his mother collected from other countries hanging over the walls. A calm gray ray of sunlight spilled through the windows, and Yuugi gradually took a seat across from his mother and Jonathan, noting the pensive looks on their faces.

He blinked, frowning. "Is… something wrong?"

"Was Atem up there with you, Yuugi?" Jonathan asked, his eyes shifting towards the blank spot next to the teenager.

"Yeah—"

"Coming, coming." Atem slinked his way into the living room, and Yuugi couldn't help but notice how much the other male stood out. He was so extravagant, and everywhere he seemed to go he made things pop. This room was no different. Atem made eye contact with his father before sitting down, far, _far _away from Yuugi on the couch.

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _Real mature._

"Well, Atem, Yuugi," Kira began, her hands interloped with her new husband's, "as you know, things are going to be quite different around here." She nodded to her son. "Yuugi, this might be a bit shocking to you, but believe me, it is definitely necessary for the growth of this new family."

Jonathan gave Atem what Yuugi assumed to be an "I'm warning you" stare.

Kira swallowed, and continued with a more solemn look in her pretty violet eyes. "You both must understand that this arrangement will only be temporary." Yuugi frowned at her tone. "Yuugi…" she sighed. "You will be sharing a room with Atem."

Yuugi blanched. "…"

Atem blinked. Slowly. When his comprehension came to a conclusion, he laughed. "Oh, Jesus Christ…"

Kira blinked at the dramatic reactions. "This will only be temporary. It's the only way we could fit you into our household for the time being, Atem. Your father and I made this decision together, so we hope that these arrangements will work for now."

_Roommates. With _him_!_

Those words sung in melodies in Yuugi's mind. He buried his face into his hands, trying to ignore the shocked, uncomfortable laughter radiating from his new stepbrother.

"You're fucking joking."

Jonathan barked. "Language, Atem! Do not talk like that in front of your new mother!"

Atem growled, his teeth grinding. Before he could respond, Kira grasped her husband's arm and shook her head.

"It's fine, John."

Jonathan looked at her in surprise. "Kira…"

Yuugi could still barely comprehend this.

Oh, the joys of a blended family!

* * *

_Roommates._

_I guess I should've been more bothered by the fact that I was stepbrothers with this guy. Atem wasn't happy about it either, and stating ground rules with him was an absolute nightmare. He threatened to burn all of my posters if I so much as _talked _about Duel Monsters. _

_Well, there was one thing for sure. None of us expected just how much Atem was hiding. I tried to get along with him, but the more I tried, the more distant he became, and that was… well it wasn't what I wanted. _

_My mother tried her best to make peace between us, but within the first two weeks of living together, it really didn't work. Atem still swore around her, but he never swore _at _her. At least even he understood that she was trying her best to make everything work._

_He and Jonathan… _

_That's another story altogether._

_But no one could prepare me for what I was about to learn from Atem. I should've been more careful with my questions, with my boundaries, but no, I had to take one step further and taunt the beast._

_It was my own fault._

_And there isn't one day where I regret it._

* * *

**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS/ALERTS/FAVORITES EVERYONE! Don't forget to leave a question or constructive criticism or anything beneficial to the story if you want to. Thank you so much again—I really didn't expect that kind of reaction to the prologue.**

**I have a new goal now!**

**Can you guys reach…**

**30 Reviews**

**By the next chapter? It's a risk, but we'll see. Thank you again everyone and I will update this story again soon!**


	3. Weaker When Alone

**Title:**_ Stepbrothers_

**Rating: **_M_

**Genre: **_General/Drama/Angst/Humor/Romance_

**Coupling: **_Puzzleshipping/Blindshipping [ Atem x Yuugi ]_

**Setting: **_Alternate Universe_

**Disclaimer: **_Disclaimed_

**Summary: **_Enter Atem: "Just because we're living under the same roof and our parents are fucking each other does NOT mean we have to learn to get along. And don't even try to become my friend, you little shrimp; you'd be wasting your goddamn time. So stay away from me and we're clear. Got it, Mutou?" _

_But staying away from Atem Takahashi was the last thing on Yuugi's mind._

* * *

**A/N: Thank you so much guys for the reviews! Please enjoy the next chapter to **_**Stepbrothers**_**. Remember, constructive criticism is always welcome and I would love to hear your thoughts!**

* * *

**Chapter Two**

_Weaker When Alone_

* * *

_Atem's an ass._

_I never denied that. But if I was to come to terms with this guy being my roommate, I needed to be sure that I wasn't a pushover. Sure, I would give him as many chances as I possibly could before my patience snapped. _

_But Atem was not having that; no, he had to be the one who reigned supreme, who always came out on top. I guess I could understand that if you were a better person than Atem, since he practically oozed trouble._

_Among other things._

* * *

Atem raised an eyebrow at the strange arrangement of multiple _Duel Monsters_-associated action figurines, cards and posters strewn across Yuugi's room like a small plague. He leaned against the wall, fiddling with a cigarette stick in his slender fingers, scoping out the size and scope of the room; it was a decent location to settle down, at least for now. He would have to kiss the ground his father walked on in order to get his own room if he wanted to showcase his independence. At least Kira Mutou seemed kind enough to actually consider his situation; she was decent to him and was nowhere near as annoying as he thought she would be.

He stared at his reflection in the lengthy mirror that he found in the back of Yuugi's closet. He knew that the brat would probably complain that this shoddy piece of glass was out of place, but he really didn't give two shits. It was sitting there for a reason, so he would rather use it while it existed in the household.

His long-sleeved white shirt was unbuttoned near the top, exposing several inches of his tanned, muscular chest. He smirked at that particular factor, examining his long legs and the denim jeans that hugged him like a comfortable second skin. He wondered if he would make those pushy snobs at Domino High School drool at the sight of him. He knew he would have to push the brat to his limit if he was going to be around him for too long.

The door slammed open, revealing exactly whom he expected, but not dressed at all what he was used to seeing. Atem's cigarette nearly slipped out of his fingers, his pupils dilating in surprise at seeing the figure of his stepbrother slink into his room, pulling a long inflatable mattress behind his slender form.

The younger teenager sported a white collared shirt with rolled-up sleeves, a pair of black jeans that were far too long for him so they awkwardly bunched at his ankles; his sneakers looked brand spanking new, as if his mother bought them for him only hours ago. Maybe that was the case, or this goody two-shoes was just much cleaner than he originally thought.

He smelled of lavender and fresh oils, and the pure aura radiating from the kid was nothing that Atem expected. He half-expected the kid to walk through the door wearing that stupid heavy tuxedo that looked far too large for him and would never look flattering on a kid that small and that… _slinky_. But his expectations were driven through the roof in the best way possible.

He slowly brought the cigarette back to his lips, scoping each and every inch of his new stepbrother with appreciation and surprise. Of course, this was what he much rather preferred. Who knew the little punk had something on him? He could actually see a fine outline of sloping shoulders, and the shirt, although loose and generally modest, hugged in some defined places. Maybe he did work out? Nah… he wasn't that toned, but he was slender and not at all unattractive.

Heh. Who knew?

"Like the getup, Mutou," Atem murmured, letting his eyes wander even more. Yuugi squeaked at the sudden intrusion and turned around, his eyes bugging larger than dinner saucers; Atem smirked. Okay, so that was a little amusing, but judging by the look the other was giving him, he wasn't getting off the hook for his comment.

"_Stop _sneaking up on me like that! That's been, what… three times today? I brought your blowup bed in here, by the way. If you couldn't tell." Yuugi gestured with a flick of his head toward the plastic bag resting on the floor, containing exactly what Atem would need to sleep on. "I have some extra blankets in the closet—," he stopped, just now taking notice of the full-length mirror. "Where did that come from?"

"Your closet," Atem replied casually. "Fucking expensive, isn't it?" He examined the intricate designs of the gold embroidering the glass, but really, he wasn't the greatest judge of what was or what wasn't expensive. His father would be the judge of those trivial things. "Why'd you hide it in your room until now?"

Yuugi sighed, rubbing his temples. "Honestly, I don't know. But don't go through my stuff, especially my _closet_."

"Do I look like a guy who takes orders from twerps like you?" Atem replied snidely, still examining his reflection. Behind him, Yuugi's hands curled into fists and he rolled his eyes, turning back to the plastic bag and unzipping the containment chamber.

"You can't wear those clothes to school, you know," Yuugi remarked, eyeing Atem's clothes with a risen eyebrow. "The school board is going to make you wear the uniform."

Atem groaned. "Eh, who gives a fuck anymore." He shrugged his shoulders and turned back to Yuugi. "How do you even survive in this neighborhood with the clothes you have?"

Yuugi glared. "I'm not a midget, if that's what you're implying."

"Oh, _no_, of course not." Atem snorted, removing the cigarette from between his lips and crushing the stick in his hands. Yuugi's jaw slacked at this, but he refused to question it. "Close your jaw kid before someone uses your mouth in a way you really don't want." He laughed as the other flushed a deep crimson and grabbed one of his pillows, ready to throw it, but a warning look from Atem made him reconsider. "I'll beat the shit out of you if you throw one of those, kid."

Yuugi groaned. This guy was impossible.

A knock on the door drew their attention. Yuugi flashed another glare at Atem before creaking open the door, immediately breaking into a smile at the sight of his mother. "Hey, Mom… um, we're just trying to get situated here—"

"Oh, that's good," she whispered, slightly cutting him off. She tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear, a small smile catching her lips. "Jounouchi called, just to see if you wanted to hang out with him. I told him that you would call him back as soon as possible." She gestured with a flick of her head to Atem, who was sitting on Yuugi's bed in the corner of the room. "Maybe you can bring Atem along with you."

Her son frowned instantly at this request. "Uh… I'll ask."

"Good, because I want him to be comfortable here. You know that this type of thing happens every day, and I won't want you to be unhappy because you regret taking your new stepbrother out to see the world." Kira smiled and kissed Yuugi's forehead; he was still thinking over her words as she practically fluttered down the stairs.

"What'd she want?" Atem asked, lighting another cigarette.

"Not much—and quit smoking those things!" Yuugi exclaimed. And, without thinking, he swiped the lighter and the cigarette out of Atem's grasp. He backed away, and blanched as he realized what he had just done. Atem's look went from relaxed and neutral to downright murderous. "I—"

Atem launched from on top of the bed, grasping Yuugi's wrists and holding them apart, his teeth clenched and his eyes boiling with annoyance. Yuugi winced as Atem's grip tightened around his wrists, and he quickly released the closed lighter into his stepbrother's open hand.

"Idiot," Atem hissed, shoving Yuugi back to the wall. He shoved the lighter into his pocket and he tossed the cigarette into the pile of ash he accumulated on Yuugi's work desk. "And I heard what your mother was talking about." He glared over his shoulder towards the other male, who was examining the growing bruise from Atem's powerful grip. "Who's this _Jounouchi _person she was talking about, eh?"

Yuugi glared. "Like you care."

"I don't, obviously. Just curious."

"He's a friend of mine. He was with me at our parents' wedding." Remembering the event that took place only days before suddenly reminded him of why he was so angry at Atem the first time they met.

The tanned individual frowned. "… The blonde?"

Yuugi sighed. "Yeah. Him."

"Ah." Atem pondered this, and once Yuugi's back was turned he scoped the other's figure once more. He wondered if the clothes was just some curtain of illusion; or perhaps, his stepbrother really did have a magnificent ass behind the jean cover.

"You're staring." He glanced over his shoulder.

Atem shrugged. "Can't help it."

"Seriously, why do you are at me like that? Do you want my clothes or something?" Yuugi grinned in amusement. "I thought this wasn't your _style_? You can just ask around and shop and you can find this stuff everywhere—"

"No, I'm not interested in your clothes." Atem lifted an eyebrow. "You're kinda dense, for a kid that preaches all the time." He rolled his eyes. "So what are you and this _Jounouchi _character doing today?"

The other groaned, choosing to ignore the insult. "I thought you said you didn't care."

"I don't."

"… Then why—"

"I'm curious." That was probably going to be his answer for everything.

Yuugi flipped out his cell phone and started dialing Jounouchi's number. He sent a look of warning towards Atem before leaving the room, snuffing his shoes against the carpet. He bit his tongue as he waited for the other line to pick up, and suddenly wondered if Atem was going to try and listen in on their conversation; he shook his head. Even that was a little unlikely.

"_Yuug'?"_

Yuugi smiled in relief. "Hey, Jou. Sorry that I missed your calls. I've been busy getting… situated."

"_Eh, it's alright. I get it, man. Do you wanna hang out today? I know you're probably busy and all."_

"No, I think that would be good." Yuugi paused. "My mother wants me to bring Atem with me… but I don't think he even wants to be a part of it. I know she'll be angry with me if I don't at least ask." He licked his lips in thought, wondering just how angry his mother would be if he "forgot" to ask Atem. Then again, it would be very immature of him to miss out on this opportunity. Maybe he would be able to get closer to Atem (as crazy as it sounded) if he spent time with him and Jounouchi for a day. "You know, Jou… maybe I will ask him."

He heard the blonde sigh on the other side. _"Eh, it's your choice. He's not too bad, is he? I know he cusses a whole lot, but that ain't an issue with me."_

Yuugi suppressed a smirk. "Yeah, I _know_."

"_Cool. We could go to the arcade and go to that doughnut shop—"_

"It'll be fun," Yuugi concluded. He knew the blonde probably had a whole assortment of plans that they could go through while they were together, but having Atem tagging along was going to change things up a bit. Jounouchi really had no idea what to expect from Atem, but maybe that was a good thing. For now, anyway.

Atem creaked open the door, scowling. "So you leaving or what?"

Yuugi sighed in exasperation. This was killing him. "Do you want to hang out with my friend and I today? We're going to the arcade, and… well usually the day takes us on a whim, but if you want to come…" He blinked, watching as the other man plucked the cigarette from his lips and blew a thick puff of smoke on his direction. "Seriously, quit it!" He coughed, glaring frigidly.

"I have nothing else to do, kid," he started, though the expression crossing his face looked more like boredom and disinterest than anything else.

Yuugi's shoulders stiffened, but he knew that if his stepbrother tried to do anything severe or rash, he would probably have some control over it. Kira Mutou happened to be on Atem's good side, and he wondered if his mother had any influence on his decisions.

"So… you coming or not?"

"I just said yes."

"…"

* * *

_I was totally oblivious to how much Atem stared at me. It wasn't out of anything positive though. I just thought he hated me more than I originally expected. What else was I supposed to think?_

_He watched my every move, like he was calculating something important, and his eyes always looked like they were searching for something. I really knew nothing about my own stepbrother, and Atem tried whatever method he could to keep it that way._

_One thing I did notice, though, was that Atem did whatever he could to show off. And he was a scary driver—after nearly crashing into three separate vehicles I demanded to take the wheel from him. He just finished his cigarette and climbed into the passenger seat without protest—and that was shocking enough. He just looked so bored the whole time._

_But what happened after that… I don't think any of us suspected. _

* * *

"Do you even have a _license_?" Yuugi demanded sourly, walking with his arms crossed over his chest. The arcade was just a few blocks away, and he knew that Jounouchi wanted to meet them at the doughnut shop; Yuugi half-expected to see his blonde friend holding a chocolate dipped maple bar if they were close enough.

Atem rolled his eyes. "Does that matter?"

"_Yes_! You could have _killed _us!"

"Well good thing I didn't," Atem replied. It infuriated Yuugi that he really didn't give a flying crap about what he thought—and apparently the law made no sense to him. Driving like a racecar maniac through red and yellow lights, nearly slaughtering pedestrians and basically making Yuugi panic and almost vomit was enough for Atem's satisfaction.

Really, he actually wasn't that bad of a driver; he just wanted to get the smaller male's panties twisted up.

He smirked.

"Asshole," Yuugi muttered quietly, but loud enough for the other to hear. Instantly, his eyes widened and brightened as a familiar blonde teenager dashed towards him and tackled him in a huge bear-hug. He struggled to breathe in the other's grasp, blinking rapidly. "J-Jou, c-can't _breathe_!"

Jounouchi laughed, releasing his friend and ruffling his spiked locks. "Eh, you should be used to it by now." He blinked at the presence of Atem, who was eyeing him like a confused stranger. "Uh… I'm Jou," he stated lamely, scratching the back of his neck.

Atem just… stared.

Jounouchi leaned in to his friend. "Is he mute?"

"No, Jou. He's just messing with you." Yuugi glared at Atem. "Cut it out!" He growled.

Atem broke his façade and shrugged in amusement, lighting another cigarette and nibbling on the end of the stick before popping it in his mouth. "Eh, just amusing myself, you little twerp."

Jounouchi bristled, but he tilted his head to the side in suspicion. "So you're Atem, then. I guessed, but I wasn't sure." He grinned. "I saw you at the wedding. Well, afterwards."

"Jou, let's just go," Yuugi nearly pleaded.

"Oh, right. So, Atem, where're you from?"

Atem pondered this. Was he actually going to respond truthfully? Yuugi hoped he had at least one ounce of honesty in his tall, lanky form. "Somewhere else," he responded.

Smartass.

Jounouchi grinned. "Well I knew that."

"I was born in Egypt," Atem muttered, promptly staring out across the street and observing the numerous buildings. "I'm adopted… so you can say I'm a mutt, of some sort."

Jounouchi actually _laughed _at the joke.

Yuugi blinked. Why was Atem so casual and truthful with Jounouchi and he wanted nothing to do with him? Watching the two talk, he noticed that Atem still held that passive expression, but he responded to Jounouchi like he was an equal. Fury ignited in Yuugi's chest, but he refused to act out right now. Maybe Atem's true self would unveil later on, and they weren't giving it enough time to situate.

By the time they arrived at the arcade Jounouchi was already blitzing through the long line of machines. Atem blinked slowly at the display, casually shoving his hands into his pockets and taking a calm stride into the area. From observing the filthy ceiling and the star-studded carpet spreading for what looked like miles and miles, he was surprised to see some pretty normal-looking people here.

He shifted; he would rather die than let his nosy stepbrother know that he was slightly uncomfortable. There was just something about the atmosphere that drove his subconscious into an upset frenzy.

"Atem?" Yuugi frowned, trying to meet the other's eyes. Atem blinked and turned to him, looking pissed off as ever. "Haven't you been to an arcade before?"

Atem scowled, bristling. "Of course I have, you little punk!" He blinked at his own reaction and rolled his eyes, stomping off in another direction and scoping out the machines with a risen eyebrow. Not at all convinced, Yuugi walked to the desk and purchased enough coins to distribute between the two of them, since Jounouchi was already off doing his own thing.

Yuugi sighed; baby steps, right?

"Here."

Atem blinked owlishly and stared at his hand full of coins with apprehension. "Why are you bothering me? Fuck off."

Yuugi's lips tightened and he dipped his head. He thanked his mother over and _over _again for making him learn patience as a young boy. "Grow up, won't you? I'm trying to include you. Here's some tokens. Play whatever you want. There's racing games a couple lines over, and there's some shooters over there…" he trailed off, shaking his head. "Just take them."

Atem stared at his hand, his brow furrowed. He didn't say anything for a few minutes, just eyeing the tokens in the other's outstretched hand, and taking in just how patient the other person was being. He sighed in frustration and rubbed his temples. "I don't know why you're trying, you brat. Just leave me alone." He stalked off, leaving Yuugi there with the extra coins and a look of embarrassment and shock coloring his face.

"I—wait, _Atem_—" he stopped when the other just continued walking.

He groaned in annoyance. Alright, so this was definitely not going as well as he would have hoped, but it was still better than Atem proving his reputation in juvenile hall and drawing out a gun.

He lost his footing as a shaded figure bumped into him. He winced and looked over, the other person quickly fleeing. "I… sorry?" He blinked as the other quickly vanished around the corner. Sighing, he rolled his eyes and continued walking through the line of machines, and, for once, none of these games looked like they would be fun enough to play.

He frowned, thinking over what just happened. It was a little… weird; it wasn't like he was in anyone's way. He was standing off to the side when he talked to Atem, and the coins were still in his pockets—

Wait.

He shuffled through his pockets, his pupils dilating.

His wallet was gone.

Yuugi shook his head and bolted out of the arcade. He didn't care if Atem or Jounouchi would notice—it would take too long to get their attention and chase the thief that stole his wallet. He stared both sides, his vision already blurring in worry and his heart slamming against his chest in dangerously rapid beats. He couldn't let his anxiety rush to his brain right now—the figure was so fast when he pushed him… he couldn't have gone far.

Yuugi's eyes widened as he noticed someone shoving through a long line of people, a collared black shirt billowing slightly in the winds. He turned the corner, and Yuugi swore he glimpsed a curtain of frosty hair; or, at least, the ending tips of it. The thief disappeared before he could grasp a proper image, but he was racing after him anyway. His small legs would only carry him so far, but he _needed _to get his wallet back.

"Stop! Thief!" He called out, shoving into too many people to apologize all at once. He nearly tripped over a baby stroller and nodded to the parents before he continued. The thief made no motion to stop, and he pumped his arms and legs of hopes of at least staying in his line of sight.

Finally, he zipped into a dark alley, swallowing the dry lump in his throat. The thief was at the very end of the alley, breathing hastily but not at all looking like he was out of breath. Yuugi could tell that he was experienced in this profession and his left hand was grasped tightly around the black casing of his wallet.

"Give—give that back!" Yuugi nearly stumbled over his loss of breath, but he finally had the other man in his range, and he wasn't going to give up.

The thief actually stopped and was arrogant enough to _smirk_. He walked closer to Yuugi, as if inspecting him out of curiosity, but Yuugi could glimpse the strangely perfect row of teeth that he displayed through that wicked grin. As Yuugi suspected, the curtain of long white hair was not an illusion; wouldn't a thief normally try to hide their appearances?

"Make me," the thief muttered, in a rough, baritone voice.

Yuugi hesitated. The thief was judging him by his size, he could tell from the sharp way the thief addressed him and was apparently cocky enough to stop in the alleyway and lead him there.

"Oh, right, you can't, because you're a fucking midget," the thief stated, chuckling in amusement.

Yuugi bristled and rushed forward, squeaking in surprise as the other man grabbed the color of his shirt and lifted him into the air. He struggled in his grasp, and, knowing that nothing else he could do would get him out of this situation, he sunk his teeth into the thief's hand. He swallowed as the grip only intensified in anger, and the thief refused to let go.

"Fucking brat," he hissed, before shoving Yuugi against the brick wall. He watched in satisfaction as the small teen slumped to the ground, bracing against his sore bones and flesh. "I should just kill you now. But you're just so pathetic, I wonder if I'd be doing the world a _favor_."

He snorted and turned away, fiddling through Yuugi's wallet with a risen eyebrow. He growled in annoyance; and then he tossed the wallet to the ground, stomping on it and watching it shred beneath his shoes. The wad of money was visible in his calloused hands, and he shoved the bills into his pocket. "Heh, nice doing business with ya, shrimp."

With that last comment, the thief disappeared into the shadows. The alley seemed to close behind him—Yuugi hoped it was just an illusion.

He grit his teeth in pain. It was savage—just being shoved against a freaking _brick wall _could have snapped his shoulder blades, spine, anything. He was lucky that he scraped out of that with swelling bruises and what felt like a couple sprains.

His fists balled against the rough stone earth, but his strength had already depleted. His lifted his head, wincing at the numerous strains already coursing through his muscles and bones. Oh, god, if his mother found him like this, or even his grandpa—

His cell phone started buzzing. He exhaled shakily, tentatively bringing the device out of his pocket and flipping it open. He pressed it to his ear, trying to steady his breathing to sound remotely human.

"H-Hello?"

"_YUUGI! Where are ya? I've been lookin' everywhere! You just vanished!" _Jounouchi's voice was highly strained and he sounded like he was shuffling in and out of one area.

Yuugi hesitated. "I'm… Jou, it hurts to talk. I—"

"_Wait—what? Hurts to talk? Yuugi, are you hurt?" _

"I'm fine, Jou—"

"_Like hell you are! Where are you?"_

"A couple blocks down. In… in some alleyway. A thief took my wallet and I chased him here. He beat me around a little and left."

There was a pause on the other line, and then a long stream of curses left Jounouchi's mouth before Yuugi could protest.

"_Fuck. I'll be right there."_

"Wait, Jou—" he stopped, realizing that the blonde already hung up. Wincing, he slowly rose from the ground, his knees buckling under the pressure. He had been sitting for several minutes without moving in an attempt to control the pain, but it wasn't working. The fight was so brief (if he even wanted to call it that) but he felt like he was thrown into a sumo-wrestling ring and then chucked back out.

He was suddenly wondering what Atem was doing at the moment. If he wasn't with Jounouchi at the arcade (which was exactly what he was going to ask Jounouchi) then where could he be?

* * *

Atem sat in the parking lot with a passive expression on his face. He admonished pedestrians as they crossed his path, their eyes fixed on his ethereal, albeit judgmental appearance. To anyone, he would probably look like he was fixed on drugs, especially with his tired red eyes. He never had the time to rub the sleep off them.

Arcades were dumb. Images of Yuugi handing the tokens out to him with that stupid, hopeful grin on his face made him want to spit out his cigarette and stomp on it. That kid was so sickeningly hopeful that it made him ill with annoyance. The boy should've figured out that Atem didn't care how much he tried, or how _long _he was going to try, but it would never happen. A friendship, a bond of any kind, would never form between them.

He accompanied both that weird blonde and his forced stepbrother to the arcade for one reason and one reason only: curiosity. But his suspicions were sated and he really had no reason to be there anymore. He would rather walk home than be in the car with the uptight brat… sure, he was decent eye candy, but that was a small redeemable value. For all he knew the kid was just as manipulative as—

He blinked and shook his head, a growl rumbling in his throat. He stared out across the lot, examining the colored cars and the lone motorcycle separated from the other pieces of wasted metal. He used to have a ride like that—suddenly he pictured the vast landscape of Egypt, the golden sand brushing over his ankles and the blue sky twisting overhead like a false promise.

He never remembered it raining when he was a child.

"Fancy seeing you here."

Atem bristled; that voice. He knew that voice. Slowly, he lifted his head, and fought back a smirk of both suppressed frustrations and delight. Standing before him was a tall, muscular individual dressed in black, long locks of white hair tumbling over his back and shoulders.

"Bakura," he murmured, taking out his cigarette and raising an eyebrow. "I should be saying the same thing to you."

"Whatever, asshole," Bakura replied, carrying a large backpack over his shoulder. He arched an eyebrow at seeing Atem's position. "The arcade kicked you out? Just as much fucking trouble as you used to be, you dick?"

Atem rolled his eyes. "No. I was bored. If you haven't heard, my father remarried." He ignored the confused look in the other's eyes. "Yes, yes, so I'm living with him in his new wife's house." He would rather not explore the details.

"She hot?"

Atem stared at him.

"What?" Bakura snickered. "You never know. Just trying to find a silver lining… then again, I guess you just don't have one, do you?"

Atem pondered over this. "What are you doing here, Bakura?"

In truth, he hadn't seen the other man in years. They grew up as children together, parentless, sisterless, brotherless… they only had each other to depend on, but that childhood was but a small intrusion in the corridors of his memory, begging to be recognized once more, but it was difficult to return to those memories. When Jonathan Takahashi adopted him, he was taken from Egypt and was forced to leave Bakura behind.

Seeing him now was… strange, to say the least.

Bakura shrugged, smirking. "Making some money on the side. I don't see why you care. Since we haven't fucking talked, or hell, haven't really _seen _each other's faces in so many goddamn years."

Atem pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm not having this conversation with you." He knew that Bakura had certain methods in retrieving the information he wanted, but it was odd seeing him now. They recognized each other quite easily, but Atem suspected that Bakura had definitely heard of him for several years before their current meeting today.

"You're not curious? Not wondering why I'm in this hellhole of a city?"

"If you hate it so much, just leave," Atem remarked casually. "No one's stopping you. You can blitz out of here with your tail between your legs and no one will care. If you want to try and be a petty criminal here, it's not going to work."

Bakura pondered for a moment. He fished a cigarette out of his pocket for a moment, and without even asking Atem handed him his lighter. Puffs of smoke clouded between his lips as he spoke, his eyes dull. "I want things to be like they were before, Atem."

The other man stopped at this, his brow pinching together in thought, and then it clicked. "Bakura, we were children."

"I know about your juvie record, Atem. You can't hide that from me," Bakura commented smoothly. "Yeah, little birdies talk. And don't even ask how I got the info. But I do know one thing for sure: you didn't just walk in there with your arms held high. You did something. I wanna know what it is."

Atem's gaze darkened, swiping the lighter out of Bakura's hand and stuffing the metallic object into his pocket. "I have to go."

The white-haired individual scowled and turned around, walking off with a cocky stance in his shoulders. "Whatever, Atem. You know where to find me."

The Egyptian's lips pursed. He waited until he heard Bakura's motorcycle zip out of the parking lot, and as this happened, the first drops of rain fell to the earth. He stared up at the graying sky—it would start to pour very soon. Closing his eyes and exhaling slowly, he walked calmly back into the arcade building.

Seeing Bakura was not the best thing that happened to him today, but their meeting was brief, and he knew that he would probably not see him again anytime soon.

His cell phone buzzed, snapping him from his train of thought. He pulled the object out and flipped it open. "Who is this?"

"_Atem! Come to the hospital this instant! Your stepbrother is in the fucking hospital! What the hell happened to him?"_

Atem's jaw slacked. He heard rustling over the phone, the sounds faded, and he heard a woman's voice yelling back at his father. It was Kira; it had to be. He couldn't wrap his head around his father's words—his stepbrother… Yuugi was hurt?

What the flying _fuck_ happened while he was in the parking lot?

"_Atem, you better get your ass here in the next five minutes before Kira has a breakdown! Yuugi's friend is here, and told us you were there with them, so we better have an explanation when you get here!"_

The connection broke off, and Atem stared at his phone screen with wide, unreadable eyes.

* * *

_I never got the name of the guy who mugged me. Apparently, though, some other incidents occurred before mine, so I wasn't a special target or anything. I did get my wallet back, but nothing was in it. My money, my ID and even pictures of my mother and grandfather were missing._

_When Jou found me the ambulance was right behind him, and it was this moment that I noticed Atem wasn't with him. Jou refused to even acknowledge Atem's existence when I was being carted to the hospital, but in truth, I didn't want to think or talk about him either. _

_Just from one throw to the wall, I had three cracked ribs, a sprain in my shoulder and a severely bruised ego. I felt weak, and really stupid for just chasing the thief and trying to tackle him. I'm good at math and logistics; I should've been able to point out instantly that I wouldn't make a dent. _

_But that wasn't what made the evening so shocking. Jonathan called Atem and ranted at him over the phone, like it was his fault or something, when it really wasn't but my mom insisted that it was for the best. It was my fault for running out and chasing the thief in the first place instead of waiting and calling the police!_

_I couldn't change it though. The decisions were already made, and when Atem finally got there, Jonathan was close to flipping out. Kira had to hold him back, and the look Atem had… it wasn't apologetic, or guilty, or anything. It was just blank, like he really didn't know what to feel or say regarding the situation. He looked confused, and even the confused side to him was more tolerable than his usual asshole persona. _

_I would be lying, though, if I said that I didn't cringe for him when his father barked at him and accused him of "getting Yuugi (me) into this mess". It was almost unbearable to see him like that. Still, I made sure to give them the details of what happened. _

_My mom was so upset, and I knew she was thinking about my bullying experiences in high school, and how I'd broken several bones through my freshman, sophomore, and even junior years. She didn't expect for this, and she even partially blamed herself for suggesting I go out. _

_During the whole conversation, the police arrived and they questioned me while I was sitting in the bed getting treatment. It was… unpleasant, being interrogated like this, but at least I could contribute how the guy looked. I don't think I had never seen anyone that looked like that thief: tall, lanky, with that scary smile and spiky white hair. _

_I didn't really feel angry after that. I was just… disappointed in myself. It was embarrassing, since I was a senior in high school and I was still getting mugged like I was some grade-schooler... except, with actual valuables this time, not just lunch money._

_When the police left, my mom and Jonathan remained outside, arguing about… something. I couldn't tell what they were talking about; seeing their shadows outside the door made the experience even more uncomfortable, though. _

_And then, Atem walked in, with that same look on his face. He sat far away from my bed, on one of the chairs in the corner. He was picking at the skin on his thumbs, and he would switch between doing that and chewing on his fingernails. He didn't say a word the entire time._

_But then, then he demanded something from me that made me shake at how blank he sounded. It was inhuman; a disembodied voice._

"_Tell me what he looked like."_

_I should've watched my mouth._

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews everyone! I hope you guys are enjoying this story so far; it'll probably be a bit longer than my other entries. Anyway, please leave a review of constructive criticism, a fun comment, your fantasies about Bakura and Atem… kidding, kidding. ;) But please leave one!**

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